Valuable In More Ways Than One
by Arcadya
Summary: They weren't searching for a Serial Killer, more like a Serial Kidnapper... Two days, two dozen missing.


**Star Trek: Enterprise:** Precious Cargo

_It seems that Sienna is having withdrawals without some contact with my writing, and while I'm in no position to write lengthy fictions regarding this wonderful world, I am in a position to accost the characters for short periods of time._

_This came from one of the prompts, I'm not sure which set: Star Trek Enterprise: Precious Cargo.

* * *

_JJ walked down the Atlanta FBI corridors trying to balance handfuls of manila folders filled with copious amounts of paper, a cardboard tray filled with coffees and her mobile phone – which she was using to talk down a particularly sleazy reporter for a tabloid magazine. The reporter in question had also received the UnSub's deranged manifesto and wanted to run it.

They'd gotten the cooperation of every other newspaper, radio and television station, but apparently Drew Konstanz didn't agree with the FBI's assessment of the situation. He wanted the glory that would come with the scoop.

JJ was seriously considering handing the phone off to Rossi or Hotch, she was sure the more manly voice might procure more luck.

As it was, she'd already told Konstanz in no uncertain terms that she wasn't playing sandbox games. The FBI wouldn't bother to sue the tabloid or even the man himself, if he ran the story. Nor would they need to go to trial. It simply wouldn't be necessary because she had six local Judges, as well as around fifteen others who backed the FBI's stance on this particular case.

The reporter would go straight to jail.

He hadn't cared.

As JJ approached the bullpen the BAU had taken over (well, been given by the frustrated and weary Atlanta Bureau) she simply hung up on the man; signaling to Hotch that she needed to talk to him when the meeting was over.

She left the muddled bullpen area, leaving the Atlanta agents staring wistfully at the monumental BAU Agents. She had deposited her coffees and requisite files, and made her way to the computer area.

JJ didn't even like to consider the reasons they were currently in Atlanta. In fact, she was quite studiously trying to ignore the reasons. Usually she could handle it, even the most despicable of cases she could approach with some semblance of control.

But not this time.

They weren't searching for a serial killer; at least there had been no mention of killings at this point in time. They were searching for a serial abductor.

Serial Kidnapper, more like.

Their UnSub was an adept hacker; at least they assumed he was based on the Houdini like nature of the crimes. Penelope had been on vacation, for her, and unfortunately she'd chosen to vacation in the area. Hotch had deemed the Atlanta technical analysts to be insufficient and had made the decision to call her in.

Garcia hadn't been pleased with the interruption to the only vacation time she and Kevin had managed to wrangle off at the same time – without dipping into the mainframe to mess with things in a slightly illegal way.

However, once Garcia had been debriefed she had completely understood and chided Hotch for not calling her in sooner.

The UnSub hacked into Hospital records, tracked pregnant women, waited for them to go into labor, infiltrated the maternity wing, and stole the babies out from under the noses of the nurses and doctors. Everyone was shocked, more so than what you would expect for baby snatching, but it was so inconceivable. Hospitals, particularly maternity wards and NICU, were heavily security conscious. The worst aspect was that the children hadn't simply been carted off one by one; they'd been taken en masse, three to four newborns at a time.

There had been eight children abducted the first day; five from the largest private hospital in Atlanta during the dead of night. Those creepily early times when everyone and God are supposed to be asleep. While the hospital tried to keep the abductions hushed up, three more children were stolen from another hospital.

It wasn't even lunchtime yet.

The next day, seven newborns were snatched. Four from a hospital that had been slow on the security uptake and three out from under the noses of a maternity ward packed with police officers standing guard. Apparently, they had just assumed the nurse was taking the babies for requisite testing. The officers assuming the hospital was covering the employees and the hospital assuming the guards were taking care of that. In the end the police officers weren't much help at identifying the 'nurse', it was the perfect disguise. She was wearing scrubs, a name tag – just the right amount of scruff to echo long-term use – they assumed she belonged, didn't even give her a second look.

The only problem then was, why hadn't the real nurses and doctors of the maternity and nursery noticed an unauthorized person in their midst?

The city was in a panic. Women were refusing to go into hospitals, making ambulance officers act as midwifes in their homes. So far, the city had been lucky. There hadn't been any major complications during childbirth, no loss of life. But it was only a matter of time, before something went horribly wrong.

Reid had postulated that the UnSub may be trying to regain a lost child. The only problem with his first hypothesis was, _why keep abducting newborns after you'd achieved the replacement of your lost child?_

Another theory had been that the UnSub was part of the human trafficking trade; adopting babies was a lengthy and expensive progress.

Cheap babies were good profit.

That was about the time JJ refused to contemplate the case anymore. She kept thinking of Henry and how distraught she'd be if that ever happened, not only having to try and deal with that horror alone, but also just moments after giving birth.

It would be a nightmare.

JJ eased her way into the computer 'den' Garcia had taken over. At any other time JJ may have found it amusing, the way Garcia's brightly colored trolls lined the edge of the station.

With a sigh, JJ refocused her mind on the present. It would not help anyone if she couldn't keep her mind on the case. There were children and families out there that needed her A-Game.

They were up to fifteen missing newborns now.

Morgan and Prentiss were out interviewing at the last hospital to report a missing newborn. Garcia was finally ready to begin looking for the UnSub; she'd arrived about forty minutes ago but it had taken her a few moments to orient herself within the Atlanta mainframe.

Rossi and Hotch were debriefing the other Agents. They were all doing their best, but it wasn't looking good.

How were they supposed to catch this criminal? All of the currently pregnant women were avoiding the hospitals, which could cause the UnSub to leave town and if Garcia didn't find something within cyberspace, it was unlikely they would ever find this UnSub.

Unless he suddenly decided to check fifteen babies into day care.

"We need something to draw the UnSub out." Rossi intoned from the back of Garcia's new den.

JJ jumped a little, she'd been so intent on what Garcia was doing she hadn't heard him approach.

"True. But what could we use that would draw him out? The only thing the UnSub's interested in is the children, consequently pregnant women about to go into labour." JJ replied.

There wasn't anything else to add, they needed inspiration.

///////////

Garcia had been working furiously for the last fifteen minutes. She was trying to find how the UnSub worked his way into the hospital's secure systems. Not that they were all that secure – for her – but she was one of the best, even if she was being modest, but for this criminal to have such access. He'd have to be really good, or at least have passwords.

"Light Bulb Moment!" She exclaimed.

JJ and Rossi looked over expectantly, but Garcia was on a roll and continued typing oblivious to their interest. Her mind was on a roll; what if he wasn't hacker extraordinaire? What if he simply knew the passwords ... what if he worked for a firewall company; that would give him easy access into the separate mainframes. She quickly checked the companies that provided the hospitals with their security.

"Bingo!" She cried.

"What is it?" JJ suddenly asked.

"He's not hacking in, he's already got an open door. That's why there's no trace of him, he's going through legal channels... man..."

"Can you find out who he is?" JJ inquired. She knew in all likelihood, with the manner of the abductions and the fact that the victims were infants, the UnSub was probably a woman. She just couldn't believe that anyone would steal a newborn child from their weakened, 'just given labour' Mother. She _had_ to call him a him, she didn't think she could handle it otherwise.

"Not definitively. There's got to be at least fifty people working for that company. I could get a list but I'll have to cross-check their bank statements and credit cards, and even then, it could be a boyfriend or girlfriend's that's using their company password to get into the system and subsequently the rest of the security." Garcia spoke rapidly as her fingers accessed those 'private' statements.

"Can we draw the UnSub out?" JJ asked.

"Huh?" Garcia replied, intent on her search.

"Hang on a minute." JJ said, as she left the small computer den to locate Hotch, Rossi and Reid. She found them standing beside a map, one that located all the hospitals in the area and had pinned notations of how many babies had been stolen from each hospital.

"Hey guys, is there any way that we can draw this UnSub out?"

"What do you mean?" Asked Rossi.

"I mean, can we pretend to have a pregnant woman go into labour, to get the UnSub to come and steal the child?"

Hotch looked wary, and concerned.

He wasn't at all sure about the deviations apparent with that line of thought. But as he thought about it, he realized it was practically the best idea anyone had had in days.

The entire team, including Garcia, Morgan and Prentiss by phone, deliberated about the how's and why's and where's for an hour.

Eventually they had a plan they seemed workable. Morgan and Prentiss would be the 'parents' given that they were still at the hospital. But the media would be relating breaking news of a band of pregnant women going to a different hospital. Garcia would then monitor the security and the hospital's mainframe and try to back-trace from there.

Hotch's face was immobile as he prayed. He knew the odds of getting the children back. He wasn't hopeful of the outcome.

/////////

It was time.

Currently blaring from the televisions were various anchormen and women bringing breaking news of a band of brave pregnant women holing up in St. Trinity's Hospital. They had flooded more than just the maternity wing. They reported a strong police presence and nobody could get into the building without specified ID and an acknowledged entry permit from the person they were attempting to visit. But the reporters were stressing that local law enforcement was asking, for the foreseeable future for people to avoid hospitals unless they needed care.

Morgan and Prentiss were in position and Atlanta General was aware of the situation and prepared to 'admit' Emily for labour procedures. Thankfully it hadn't taken all that long to get the hospital to agree. They were as willing as the next person to redeem their local standing. Being the last hospital to have had children abducted, while knowing full well there was a baby-kidnapper out there, was not good for business or trust.

If people couldn't trust a hospital to keep you safe while on the premises, what else was it good for?

Garcia was armed with gummy bears and soda. This one was not getting away from her.

It all happened rather quickly after that. About twenty minutes after the Breaking News began its rotation, someone dipped into the hospitals' security system.

"Rat Bastard." Garcia swore under her breath, "I was right, he's using the security system. There's going to be an overhaul of security procedures for the security companies' that's for sure."

"Have you got him?" JJ asked, in a hush.

"Almost... wait! What's that?" She muttered. "Damn. No ... no you don't."

"What?" JJ cried.

"The security system's trying to stop me from following him."

"Well, do something!"

"Thanks JJ, real helpful."

"Sorry."

"I'm know Babe, don't sweat the small stuff."

"Got him. Damn."

"What now?"

"He knows about Emily. And he wasn't in the building." Garcia said.

"Which building?" Hotch asked, slightly startling Garcia who didn't realize she had such a large audience.

"Whoever it is that's using the security like this isn't actually in the building, the one where the security is based. He must have created a back door, and is accessing it from another place."

"Well, can you trace that?" Rossi asked.

"I don't need to. Once he realized that there was such a large contingent over at St. Trinity's, he only focused on Atlanta General. He's going after Emily." Garcia replied.

"I'll let them know he's on his way, how far along is Emily now?" Hotch asked. Pausing slightly once he registered the oddness of that request.

"I think the systems' got her down as fully dilated. Baby Prentiss-Morgan should be arriving very soon." Garcia said.

/////////

"How do I look Morgan?" Emily asked.

"You look fine?" Morgan replied, casting a raised eyebrow toward the woman in the bed.

Emily sighed, "I MEAN, do I look like I've just given birth to this little bundle?"

"I don't know... here." He shrugged and grabbed the cup full of ice chips. He threw them into her hair. Melting them with his hands.

"Morgan stop! Stop it!" She laughed, "You'll wet the Baby."

"Can't let Morgan Junior get wet, now can we?" He intoned.

"Morgan Junior? No, I refuse. We're not calling him that." Emily said.

The radio crackled.

It was the team's signal for possible UnSub sighting.

"You look tired babe," he replied, "get some sleep, I'm going to go get us some sustenance."

The entire floor had been warned, every other employee of the hospital had been warned, 'Stay away from the maternity ward'. The warning had been in effect since the whole tragedy had begun. So it was quite clear that this mysterious person was not kosher.

Emily nodded seriously and settled down on the bed with 'their baby', feigning sleep.

Dark shoes squeaked precariously outside of her room.

Emily fought the urge to peek. She hadn't put her 'baby' back in the crib; instead trying to draw the UnSub closer by keeping the small bundle in her arms. It was wrapped in a light blue blanket.

She felt more than saw a presence in the room; she remembered to relax her eyelids.

Nothing gave away pretending to sleep like clenched eyes.

Morgan watched the developing situation from across the hall. He saw the figure lean over Emily's bed, reaching for 'his baby'. Was it weird that he felt sort of paternally protective over the fake progeny? He reflected that the UnSub had done this fifteen times previously, carted off unprotected and newly born babes away from their loving parents and the care they needed. Yes, he certainly hoped that no ill had befallen those other babies. Who knew what the State would do if the FBI couldn't or didn't retrieve those precious lives in time.

Emily felt the slight tug of 'her baby' being pulled away. If she were really asleep she wouldn't have even noticed. The baby was too new for maternal protective urges in sleep to have kicked in; especially given this would be her 'first'.

She tensed, rising quickly and staring the UnSub in the face, cataloging the woman's features in case she got away from Morgan; which Emily seriously doubted but wanted to have those features in her memory anyway. It wasn't a face she was soon to forget. Like Cyrus; she had a vault of faces that she would never forget.

The would be kidnapper was caught off-guard.

"Would you like to see my baby?" She asked, reaching down into the bundle of cloth.

"Say hello." She demanded as she pulled out her weapon.

Morgan appeared in the doorway, gun drawn and centered on the UnSub. "You got her?"

"Yep. Cuff her." Emily replied.

Morgan did as asked, grabbing the woman's hands and forcing them behind her back.

"I don't ... understand. Where's your baby?" The UnSub muttered.

"A place you'll never find him." Morgan stated. He wasn't going to be the one to tell her the baby wasn't real. The woman clearly had issues, and time spent with her was better geared to locating the other children.

Emily pulled out the radio from inside the crib and informed Hotch of the situation.

///////

Almost too late for some of the babies, they found them.

It seemed as if the entire state breathed a sigh of relief.

The UnSub's motivations were still unclear. Oh, the BAU had their hypothesis' and theories but nobody would ever truly know what the UnSyb's goal had been. They'd been able to track her movements within the security system. Once they'd known who she was, that is. She'd entered the mainframe, isolating the baby security tags (those specialized security ID's specifically designed to _stop_ babies from being kidnapped from hospitals) and authorizing herself to retrieve the children. That's what was so devastatingly brilliant about her plan. All the safeguards and technology designed to protect the newborns, those were what the UnSub had used to steal them.

Even with isolation and an armed guard within the high security prison system, the woman hadn't lived out three days.

The other inmates had acted on their own maternal sense of right and wrong.

The only good thing that JJ could give the woman was that once caught she had given up the other babies' location. They found the children in an old weather-beaten house in the inner city. Two rooms filled to the brim with cribs. Each child sharing a bottle with another, no clean linen and little space to move.

JJ had cried.

The earlier babies were found in a worse state than the newly abducted. The parents of course were overjoyed at the semi-safe return of their children regardless of their abysmal state.

Anger would come later.

So far, the newborns were only suffering neglect, and dehydration, careful observation should rectify any problems. But the hospitals were going to keep all of the newborns in special care for the following week. Nobody wanted any surprises.

Garcia had given all of the babies' protection trolls before returning to her holiday.

Hotch, Rossi and Reid had spent a considerable amount of time in the maternity wards just making sure that everything was okay. Mothers, Fathers, and extended family giving the visiting BAU team extra hugs, cuddles and kisses usually given to the new additions to the families.

The actual families and hospital staff still were reluctant to let any new people (whether or not they were family members) onto the wings in question.

Morgan and Prentiss finding the best way to deal with the situation by renaming their guns; even though they too had had their fair share of the hugging and grandma kisses. Emily's became M.J. (Morgan Junior) and since she got the boy-gun, Morgan had to have the girl-gun.

Emily dubbed it Sigourney.

* * *

_It's apparently extremely difficult for me NOT to do some kind of case related thing. This wasn't supposed to be related to any case. Not in depth anyway. _

_Eh, it is what it is._

_Note, I'm pretty sure everyone is aware of the two degrees of separation for Emily's dubbing of Morgan's gun but if not; Sigourney Weaver played Ripley, in the Alien movies. I figured, if Emily's gun got named after Morgan – stealing bombs and letting them explode in empty fields guy – then his gun needed to have an equally ass-kicking name. But I didn't want to name it Ripley, 'cause that's an unisex name, so I went with her portrayer instead._

_Thanks for reading, lovelies._

_Arc  
_


End file.
